List of deputy prime ministers of Malta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deputy Prime Minister of Malta Deputat Prim Ministru ta' Malta  (Maltese)
Coat of Arms of the Republic of Malta
Incumbent Ian Borg
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Cabinet of Malta
Appointer	President of Malta
Term length	General Elections are held every five years at a maximum, but may be held sooner. The Deputy Prime Minister is by convention the deputy leader of the victorious party. No term limits are imposed on the office.
Formation	1947

The Deputy Prime Minister of Malta is a very important person in the Government of Malta. Think of them as the second-in-command, right after the Prime Minister of Malta. They help lead the country and are also a minister themselves. In Maltese, this role is called Viċi Prim Ministru.

What is a Deputy Prime Minister?

The Deputy Prime Minister is like the Prime Minister's helper and stand-in. They are the second most important leader in Malta's government. This person is also a minister, meaning they have their own special area of responsibility, like health or education.

What Does the Deputy Prime Minister Do?

The main job of the Deputy Prime Minister is to support the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister is away or cannot do their job for a short time, the Deputy Prime Minister steps in. They become the acting Prime Minister until the Prime Minister returns. This makes sure the government can always keep working smoothly.

The role of Deputy Prime Minister was created in 1947. Since then, eleven different people have held this important position. There was a time between 1949 and 1971 when the job did not exist. Also, the position was empty for a short period from 2012 to 2013.

Who Has Been Deputy Prime Minister?

Many different people have served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta. They come from different political parties. The two main parties in Malta are the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party.

Political parties

     Labour Party      Nationalist Party

Deputy Prime Minister			Term of office			Political party
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	No.	Took office	Left office
1		Dom Mintoff (1916–2012)		1947	1949	Labour Party
Office abolished (1949 – 1971)
2		Anton Buttigieg (1912–1983)		1971	1976	Labour Party
3		Agatha Barbara (1923–2002)		1976	1981	Labour Party
4		Wistin Abela (1933–2014)		1981	1983	Labour Party
5		Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici (1933–2022)		1983	1984	Labour Party
6		Guze Cassar (1918–2001)		1984	1987	Labour Party
7		Guido de Marco (1931–2010)	1st	1987	28 October 1996	Nationalist Party
8		George Vella (born 1942)		28 October 1996	6 September 1998	Labour Party
(7)		Guido de Marco (1931–2010)	2nd	6 September 1998	29 March 1999	Nationalist Party
9		Lawrence Gonzi (born 1953)		29 March 1999	23 March 2004	Nationalist Party
10		Tonio Borg (born 1957)		23 March 2004	28 November 2012	Nationalist Party
Office vacant (28 November 2012 – 13 March 2013)
11		Louis Grech (born 1947)		13 March 2013	5 June 2017	Labour Party
12		Chris Fearne (born 1963)		17 July 2017	10 May 2024	Labour Party
13		Ian Borg (born 1986)		17 September 2024	incumbent	Labour Party

Learn More About Malta's Government

If you want to know more about how Malta is governed, you can check out these other articles:

• Prime Minister of Malta
• President of Malta
• Government of Malta
• House of Representatives of Malta